Multi-million pound investigation will see churches, police and individuals put under the spotlight
Preliminary hearings have begun in the long-awaited inquiry into historic child sexual abuse.

The independent investigation, chaired by New Zealand high court judge Dame Lowell Goddard, is the largest ever undertaken in Britain, with speculation that it could last for up to a decade.
What will the inquiry look at?

"The inquiry is unprecedented in both size and scope," says Goddard. With a first-year budget of £17.9m and 155 staff members, it will focus on whether public bodies and other non-state institutions have failed in their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse in England and Wales.

The police, health service, the Crown Prosecution Service and religious bodies will all be put under the spotlight during the hearings. At the end of the investigation, Goddard and her colleagues promise to demand accountability, support victims and make recommendations for the future.

"There is no doubt that the inquiry's task is immense," Goddard recently wrote in The Guardian. "But the scale and magnitude of the problem of child sexual abuse means there is no easy fix. This is the opportunity to get to the heart of one of the biggest challenges for our generation."....

Former MI5 chief 'involved in child sex abuse cover-up'
23 July 2015

The former head of Britain's intelligence service urged the government to cover up allegations of child sexual abuse against a senior MP, freshly uncovered documents have revealed.

Writing to cabinet secretary Sir Robert Armstrong in 1986, MI5 director general Sir Antony Duff said "the risk of political embarrassment to the government is rather greater than the security danger".

The correspondence was about an unnamed MP who was alleged to have "a penchant for small boys," but Duff said he accepted the politician's denial of the abuse.

The documents, originally thought to have been lost or destroyed, were discovered in a Cabinet Office storeroom of "assorted and unstructured papers," The Times reports.

The discovery comes months after an official review into whether allegations of child abuse were covered up by the Home Office in the 1980s found no evidence that records were deliberately removed.

However, in a supplementary report "quietly" released yesterday, the authors of the report condemned the government's record keeping and called for an extensive search of Whitehall archives.

The freshly unearthed files also include documents about senior Westminster figures including Margaret Thatcher's former parliamentary secretary Sir Peter Morrison, former home secretary Leon Brittan, and former minister Sir William van Straubenzee. The contents of those documents have not been revealed.

There are also papers relating to former MI6 chief Sir Maurice Oldfield and his alleged connection to the abuse scandals at the Kincora boys' home in Northern Ireland....

Enoch Powell named by bishop in police sex abuse probe
30 March 2015

A Church of England bishop has reported Enoch Powell to police investigating allegations of a Westminster paedophile network.

The claims against the late Conservative MP, who made the infamous Rivers of Blood speech, are said to relate to "ritual satanic abuse" and were reported to a clergyman by a young person during a counselling session in the 1980s.

The information was passed on to the Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler, who is responsible for "safeguarding" in the Church of England. He reported Powell to the police last year, but is not thought to have had any corroborating material.

Report: Key Vatican aide investigated for child abuse
Australian police are investigating Vatican finance chief George Pell over sexual abuse allegations, according to the Australian national broadcaster ABC. The cardinal denied the claims as "totally untrue."

Complaints against Pell go back to late 1970s, when he served as a priest in his home town of Ballarat, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Wednesday.

Two men told the company that Pell molested them in a Ballarat swimming pool when they were children. Another person alleged that he had seen Pell exposing himself to young boys in a beach changing room in the 1980s.

ABC claims it had obtained eight police statements from the alleged victims, witnesses and family members. Police and prosecutors have yet to decide whether the documents warrant formal charges against the 75-year old cardinal, according to the reporters.

'Smear campaign'

Victoria police declined to comment, according to the AFP news agency.

At the same time, Pell accused ABC of running a "scandalous smear campaign" against him.

"The cardinal does not wish to cause any distress to any victim of abuse," his Rome office said in a statement. "However, claims that he has sexually abused anyone, in any place, at any time in his life are totally untrue and completely wrong."

- Australia: Children stripped, assaulted and tear-gassed at detention center
- Dublin Rape Crisis Centre line....notes a ‘resurgence’ in the reporting of childhood sex abuse
- Evidence of 'torture' of children held in Don Dale detention centre uncovered by Four Corners
- Malawi man arrested after describing sex with young girls
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre line sees surge in first-time callers
Centre’s annual survey notes a ‘resurgence’ in the reporting of childhood sex abuse
Kitty Holland July 26, 2016
The number of first-time callers to the national helpline for victims of rape and sexual assault was more than 50 per cent higher last year than the number in 2013, figures published this morning show.

The 2015 annual report from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre also says there has been a “resurgence” in reporting of childhood sex abuse as well as a “noticeable” increase in levels of hopelessness among callers.

Also noted was a growing willingness by people who had been raped or sexually assaulted by someone they knew to report the crime to the Garda.

“A total of 11,789 counselling contacts were responded to by helpline staff, comprising 10,468 helpline calls and 1,321 contacts via emails, text and social media,” says the report.

Some 5,902 were first-time callers, an increase of 16.25 per cent since 2014 (5,077) and of 50.25 per cent compared to 2013 (3,928)....

Of the calls last year, 51 per cent or 3,736 related to sexual violence experienced in adulthood.

Australia: Children stripped, assaulted and tear-gassed at detention center
By James Griffiths, CNN Tue July 26, 2016

(CNN)Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called for a national investigation into allegations of abuse and torture at a juvenile detention center.
The allegations, which appeared on Australian Broadcasting Corp.'s "Four Corners" investigative program, showed children as young as 10 being stripped naked, assaulted, tear-gassed and kept in solitary confinement.

Evidence of 'torture' of children held in Don Dale detention centre uncovered by Four Corners
By Caro Meldrum-Hanna and Elise Worthington July 25, 2016

Vision of the tear-gassing of six boys being held in isolation at the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre in Darwin in August 2014 has been obtained by Four Corners, exposing one of the darkest incidents in the history of juvenile justice in Australia.

The vision is part of an investigation featuring a chilling catalogue of footage revealing a pattern of abuse, deprivation and punishment of vulnerable children inside Northern Territory youth detention centres.

The tear-gassing incident was described as a "riot" at the time, with media reporting multiple boys had escaped their cells in the isolation wing of the prison, known as the Behavioural Management Unit (BMU), and threatened staff with weapons.

BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — Malawi police on Tuesday arrested a man who said he was hired by families to have sex with more than 100 young women, including children, in what was described as ritual cleansing.

President Peter Mutharika ordered the arrest of Eric Aniva, who told local and international media he had been paid to have sex with young girls. Aniva also told the media he was HIV-positive.

"Out of the many women he had sex with, most of them were under-aged children," Kachama said.

In interviews, Aniva claimed to be a paid sex worker, known as a "hyena," hired by families and village elders in southern Malawi to have sex with young girls once they reach puberty as a form of ritual cleansing.

Monday, July 25, 2016

Drugs, sexual abuse and every child an identical blonde: Inside the cult known as 'The Family' that raised more than a dozen children as a mirror image of its leader

A new look into the Melbourne cult 'The Family' reveals its sinister nature
New documentary at the Melbourne International Film Festival probes 'family'
It explores networks Anne Hamilton-Byrne used to 'steal' children

By Belinda Cleary For Daily Mail Australia 24 July 2016

The notorious Melbourne cult dubbed 'The Family' has been described as 'sinister and beautiful' and like a 'Grimm fairytale' as it is revealed practicing members still live in Victoria.

A documentary into the LSD-using cult led by yoga teacher Anne Hamilton-Byrne will premiere at the upcoming Melbourne International Film Festival on Saturday with new information on the cult - which flew under the radar for 20 years....

'How do people get involved in a cult, what draws them in, how do they do things that they would normally find morally reprehensible,' she said.

'It opens up a lot of questions that are universal rather than relevant only to this particular group.'

The cult, which was set up in Lake Eildon, was know for having the children dressed identically, their hair bleached blonde and shaped into the same bob.

This was so the children from different parents who were cult members looked like siblings - and their new 'mother' Anne Hamilton-Byrne.

Anne Hamilton-Byrne famously claimed she was the natural mother of each of the six children found by police during extensive raids of the cult-owned properties.

These raids occurred in 1987 - after one of the cults 'daughters' - now revealed to be Hamilton-Byrne's favourite child Sarah - went to police with abuse allegations.

Following the raid police found another 14 children had been brought up in the isolated home.

Children who grew up in the strange cult were interviewed for the documentary and spoke of severe punishments for bad behaviour - like being starved or beaten.

They open up about being forced to take drugs including LSD and also of the sexual assault of children.

In 2009 Hamilton-Byrne spoke with the Herald Sun claiming she cared for the children as her own and said anyone who said otherwise were 'lying bastards'.

She said the only regret she had was 'losing touch with daughter' (Sarah) and after an emotional reunion with the young woman who brought the cult down she said she was 'ready to die'.

Sarah had been thrown out of The Family for disobedience two years before she dobbed her 'mother' in to police....

The film also explores how far the reach of The Family stretched - Raynor Johnson who was a key member helped Anne recruit doctors and lawyers to the cult.

'They only recruited really wealthy people, in fact, or people with status and skills they needed.'

The medical staff and lawyers made it easy for the cult to take babies from single mothers who were pressured into signing their children over.

Monday, July 18, 2016

Tales of a child bride: 'My father sold me for 12 cows'
When she was 12, Grace was abducted and then raped and beaten every day for 11 months.

Features Human Rights 12 July 2016 By Marc Ellison

So common are the practices of abduction, rape and forced marriage of girls in northern Tanzania that a single word is used to encapsulate them all: kupura. It is a word used by people from the Sukuma tribe to describe the snatching of girls in broad daylight as they walk to school; a three-syllabled euphemism that downplays their long-term physical and sexual abuse.

And yet here in the region of Shinyanga, the practice of kupura is validated by the oft-recited motto of Sukuma men: alcohol, meat and vagina.

"This slogan is in their blood and a way of life," says Revocatus Itendelebanya. "These are the three things they feel entitled to as men."

Itendelebanya, the legal and gender officer for the local NGO, Agape, says this sense of entitlement, in what is a perennially patriarchal society, also explains why passers-by don't intervene when they witness an abduction.

"When a Sukuma man is attracted to a girl he will start asking people where she lives, and what her routine is," explains Itendelebanya.

"Once he finds out these details he might wait for her near the borehole - or whatever he thinks is the best place to get that girl - and then grab her."

Kupura is so prevalent in the region that when a girl disappears, her parents will suspect what has happened. But rather than calling the police, they will seek the man out not to rescue their child, but to negotiate the dowry - or bride price - in cattle.

Cash cows

For daughters are sadly seen as a short-term investment for poor, rural households - cash cows that can boost a family's financial position at the expense of a girl's schooling and wellbeing....

When it comes to child marriage, Tanzania was until very recently a country of contradictions.

The 1971 Marriage Act set the minimum age of marriage for girls at 15 with parental consent - but a girl of 14 could wed where judicial approval was given.

And while the 2009 Child Act did not expressly outlaw child marriage, it did define a child as a person under the age of 18, stating that a parent should "protect the child from neglect, discrimination, violence, abuse, exposure to physical and moral hazards and oppression".

This contradictory legal Venn diagram was further obfuscated by the Local Customary Law of 1963, which allowed Tanzania's many ethnic groups to adhere to their customs and traditions.

The Tanzanian government had long made noises about a constitutional review process to address these conflicting laws, but last year's presidential election campaign, in addition to a lack of consensus in community surveys, had served to stall any political momentum on the issue.

Only in July 2016 did the government finally ban child marriage outright - but will it actually make a difference?

Twelve Tribes: The Church Preached Child Abuse & Slavery
According to ex-members of Twelve Tribes who spoke to The Daily Beast, children are regularly beaten and leaders preached “slavery is necessary.” Now, an escapee has taken over the Facebook page of the Plymouth bakery run by the commune so he can broadcast its ills.
Luke O’Neil 7.17.16

....It’s been almost eight years since Mathias, now 22, left the Twelve Tribes, the controversial commune and religious sect he was born into, but the memories, and the anger at the way he and his family were allegedly treated is still fresh. He says he—and other members of the sect—were regularly beaten by adults in the commune as a form of discipline.

....The half-dozen former members who spoke to The Daily Beast also allege a culture of systematic child abuse, subjugation of women, and psychological torment.

A couple of years ago, a German documentary uncovered video of children in a local branch being beaten so terribly that the government led a raid and took the children away. In the video, Wolfram Kuhnigk, an RTL journalist, filmed 50 instances of beatings on camera, as the Independent reported. One former member who appears in the film recounts being regularly beaten for such trivial offenses as pretending to be an airplane. According to the group’s teachings, children are not permitted to engage in any type of playing or fantasy.

It’s a pattern of controversial behavior that has persisted in stories about the group for decades. "There are so many teachings that keep you from being who you are. They keep you from being human,” a former member named Joellen Griffin told the Boston Herald in 2001. "You get so absorbed in the teachings that you lose your emotions and your ability to respond to situations. They seem like a tight-knit family, but you just don't know all the misery behind those eyeballs."

In 1984, authorities in Vermont undertook a similar raid, liberating over 100 children from a Twelve Tribes compound, according to The New York Times. A judge determined that the raid was unconstitutional and the children were returned. Interestingly, as the San Diego Reader reported, the public defender at the time, Jean Swantko, joined the group soon after.

There are online articles with inaccurate information about Neil
Brick. This web page responds to factual errors about Neil Brick and
his work.

Those interested in contacting Neil for an interview can write smartnews @aol.com (delete space before @) for more information.

Neil Brick has always been a strong advocate for people thinking for
themselves. Neil Brick has encouraged people to use their critical
thinking skills and fully research topics.

In one presentation, Neil Brick stated :“Please use your own judgment and try to research everything as fully
as possible. Don’t accept anything anyone says simply because they say
it or claim to be an expert or whatever. Try to check it out for
yourself.”

Several of Neil Brick’s articles (listed below) provide readers
information on how to avoid being mind controlled and encourage readers
to find out for themselves about topics from as many sources as
possible.

Conference Goals
– To help stop future occurrences of ritual abuse
– To help survivors of ritual abuse
– To name the groups that have participated in alleged illegal activities
– To unite those working to stop ritual abuse

For those looking for more information about the strong accuracy and validity of ritual abuse research: http://childabusewiki.org/index.php?title=Ritual_Abuse
Ritual abuse exists all over the world. There have been reports,
journal articles, web pages and criminal convictions of crimes against
children and adults.

Name: (please include names and individual addresses of all registrees, thanks.)
___________________________

Agency: ___________________________________

Street: ____________________________

City: ___________________State:______

Zip:________E-mail_________________

Fees
Early registration fees (all fees are per person)
(note: fees must be received by the due date below to get the special prices)
All conference registrations will include a complimentary lunch for that day (Fri night has a complementary deli dinner).

Saturday and Sunday Two Day Registrations
before August 1, 2016 – $215
after August 1, 2016 – $225
Paying at conference add $20 to two day and three day fees

(All fees must be received by due dates above.)
One Day Fee $110 – Please specify which day _________

Add Friday buffet fee to two day fee – $40.00
(Circle one – Sat – Sun for one day registrations)
_______________________

To add Friday night early registration, get together, deli dinner and dessert – $40.00
Donation to help those on fee waiver (not tax deductible):
_____________

Total Amount Due _____________

special meals needed ____________________

Please make checks payable to S.M.A.R.T. (US banks only, please.)

Refund Policy: Fees will not be refunded after July 12, 2016. Please
send us written notice. Refund will be minus $70.00 deposit per
registree.

Please note: S.M.A.R.T. has no paid employees and all money paid to
S.M.A.R.T. goes toward efforts to educate survivors and the general
public about survivor issues and research.

Conference Information

Speakers and Biographies
These descriptions may be heavy for survivors to read, so please use caution while reading these.

Dr. Alison Miller has an M.A. from the University of
Delhi (India), a Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia and is a
semi-retired psychologist in private practice in Victoria, British
Columbia, Canada. She has worked with survivors of ritual abuse and mind
control since 1991. She has been a fellow of the ISST-D (International
Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation) since 2013. She is a
member of the Board of Directors of Survivorship, and is the
Chair-Elect of the Ritual Abuse and Mind Control Special Interest Group
of the ISST-D. Her books include: Becoming Yourself: Overcoming Mind
Control and Ritual Abuse (for survivors) and Healing the Unimaginable:
Treating Ritual Abuse and Mind Control (for therapists).Internal Keys to Safety
Survivors’ safety is endangered both externally by parts who maintain
ongoing contact with perpetrators and respond to cues, and internally by
parts trained to punish the person for forbidden behavior such as
disclosures. I shall give practical suggestions for survivors to achieve
and maintain safety both externally and internally. (Skype
presentation)

Eileen Aveni LMSW, ACSW, BCD, AAETS is a
psychotherapist with 30+ years in medical and psychiatric settings
working alongside other DID, Ritual Abuse, & Mind Control treatment
specialists and law enforcement involved in current cases. She has
learned from and presented nationally and internationally with some of
the noted researchers and practitioners of this field, and consults
internationally. Eileen created and led an 8 year long-term therapy for
DID/RA/MC survivors. In private practice in Michigan, she also sees
clients on Skype. She is Chair of the international Ritual Abuse and
Mind Control Special Interest Group, a division of the International
Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.Jeri Shivans has 25+ years in creating Internet
Technology as an executive and founder of companies. She holds advanced
degrees in Business and Divinity. Jeri is a survivor who has aided other
survivors for 20 years including assisting with a long-term therapy
group for RA survivors, and leading a Safe House.

4 Hour Workshop – Helping You Work with Your Internal System
Eileen Aveni and Jeri Shivans will discuss The Narcissistic Leader – how
cult leaders can create an environment where lies, deception and even
torture are approved of; Internal Hierarchies – a look at the overall
differences in cults, how internal systems can be constructed, timing
and type of abuse in different cults, and the purpose behind it all;
Helping Internal Hierarchies to Heal – working with internal parts up
and down the hierarchies to heal; Spiritual Abuse and Overcoming it –
how it occurs, demons vs internal parts, forgiving yourself, and having
genuine spiritual experiences; Selecting a Therapist; and Living Well –
you can recover and thrive!

Neil Brick is a survivor of ritual abuse and mind
control. His work continues to educate the public about child abuse,
trauma and ritual abuse crimes. His child abuse and ritual abuse
newsletter S.M.A.R.T. has been published for over 20 years. http://neilbrick.com

Second Presentation:The Urban Legends of Those Attacking Ritual Abuse Theories and
the False Logic of False Memory Proponents and Their Occultist
Supporters
The vicious attacks, harassment and false logic of those untrained to
ascertain recovery and therapeutic techniques continues into recent
years from the 1990s. Many of these attacks use the same propaganda
techniques, like name calling, insults and repetition as those from the
1980s and 90s. Modern examples will be given and compared to those from
prior years.

Randy Noblitt, PhD, is a clinical psychologist
(licensed in Texas) and professor of clinical psychology at the
California School of Professional Psychology at the California School of
Psychology at Alliant International University, Los Angeles. In the
course of his practice, Randy has treated more than 300 individuals who
met the criteria for dissociative identity disorder. He is the principle
author of Cult and Ritual Abuse: Its History, Anthropology and Recent
Discovery in Contemporary America (Praeger, 1995. 2000), and its third
edition, Cult and Ritual Abuse: Narratives, Evidence and Healing
Approaches (Praeger, 2014). He is also co-editor and contributing author
of the book, Ritual Abuse in the 21st Century: Psychological, Forensic,
Social and Political Considerations (Robert Reed, 2008).

The Making of the Book Cult and Ritual Abuse: Narratives, Evidence, and Healing Approaches
In 1979 I was serving as a USAF psychologist in England. It was there
that I heard one of my clients tell a story of a bizarre sex party that
included people wearing robes and chanting to Satan. I presumed that
this was something very unusual and not likely to recur in my
psychological practice. Later in the mid-1980s I began hearing client
narratives describing what they referred to as ritual abuse. I sought
more information about this phenomenon but there was little in the way
of research or professional literature that addressed either the
existence of ritual abuse or the treatment of the potentially disabling
psychological problems produced in some survivors. In fact, most of the
literature was composed of anecdotal experiences and religiously
oriented speculation. I undertook the arduous task of reviewing the
historical and anthropological evidence for ritual abuse in many
cultures and compared these with contemporaneous reports of more than
300 alleged ritual abuse survivors and found remarkable similarities.
The book Cult and Ritual Abuse: Its History, Anthropology, and Recent
Discovery (Praeger, 1995, 2000), and Cult and Ritual Abuse: Narratives,
Evidence, and Healing Approaches (Praeger, 2014) are the result. (Skype
presentation)Pamela Noblitt is a Social Security Disability
claimant’s representative in independent private practice. Formerly with
the national firm of Binder and Binder, Pam has represented over 1,000
claimants in their efforts to obtain the benefits to which they were
entitled. She has presented on the topic of Social Security several
times and has collaborated with her husband, Randy, on articles
published in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, addressing
clinicians’ responsibilities in Social Security Disability cases.

Documenting Disability: How to Prepare a Social Security Disability Strategy
Many Social Security disability cases are won or lost by the quality of
the evidence for disability which includes medical and psychotherapy
records as well as professional opinions regarding the toll the
claimant’s condition takes on their personal, educational, and
vocational lives. This presentation offers guidance and suggestions for
clinicians and potential claimants about effective documenting practices
for disability claims. Included are sample documents that correspond
with Social Security Disability definitions and criteria. (Skype
presentation)

Conference Participants
The conference will include all those either recovering from ritual
abuse and/or fighting against ritual abuse. This includes survivors,
co-survivors, therapists, other helping professionals, lawyers and all
others interested in learning more about ritual abuse.

Members of secret organizations, acting out perpetrators, and/or
members of unsympathetic organizations are excluded from the conference.
This is for the protection and safety of those in attendance.

S.M.A.R.T. 2016 Conference Schedule – August 12 – 14
(Fri, Sat. and Sun.)
(Please note : this schedule may be subject to change. Please write us for the latest schedule.)

Friday
7 – 9:00 PM – Dinner for Registered Attendees

Saturday
9:00 – 5:00 pm with evening presentations

Sunday
9:00 – 5:00 pm

Sponsorship and Co-sponsorship Information
All sponsors and cosponsors have made promotional contributions to the
conference. We want to thank them for all their efforts. Please note:
Listing these resource organizations does not necessarily constitute our
full endorsement of them. Please use caution contacting any resource
mentioned in this brochure.

The conference is sponsored by S.M.A.R.T., a newsletter that
examines the possible connections between ritual abuse and secretive
organizations. SMARTNEWS@aol.com https://ritualabuse.us/

deJoly LaBrier is the author of two books about her
experiences in a military sex ring, a satanic cult, government
experimentation and DID (once called Multiple Personality Disorder).
Altogether Now, A Multiple’s Story of Hope and Healing & Diary of a
Survivor in Art and Poetry, can be found on her web site at http://www.dejoly.com
, on Amazon.com and at CreateSpace.com. Some of her conference
presentations can be found at our website. deJoly has been in recovery
since 1988, and now lives a serene, joy-filled life in the mountains of
Alabama. She can be reached at lifeasaonesie@gmail.com

The North American Truth & Reconciliation Coalition
(NATRC) seeks to raise public awareness about historical and ongoing
human rights violations in North America, and works to establish an
accurate and truthful historical record of such crimes, including human
trafficking, organized ritual crime, child soldiering, mind control
experimentation and other forms of torture, in both the private and
public spheres. The North American Truth & Reconciliation Coalition
(NATRC) http://natrcoalition.org

Registration Discounts
Fee waiver application fees are $100.00 for two days and $55 for one
day, and are non-refundable. Please do not send fees until your
application is accepted. Please add $35 to attend the Friday night early
registration, get together and dessert buffet. Applications will not be
accepted after July 15, 2016, payment must be made by July 30, 2016.
Acceptance will partially be contingent on the number of paid
applicants. Fee waiver registrees must volunteer for four hours at the
conference. Unfortunately, we cannot afford to pay any travel expenses.
Please E-mail or regular mail us for a fee waiver application.

Transportation
There is a free shuttle to and from the airport. Hotel parking is
available at no charge for those attending the conference. Conference
sponsors, etc. assume no responsibility for ground and/or air
transportation arrangements. Conference sponsors cannot assume
responsibility for additional expense or losses due to illnesses,
cancellation of flights, strikes or other causes.

Accommodations
Room rates at the DoubleTree Hotel at Bradley International Airport (CT)
are $95 a day for one person (not incl. tax), please mention the SMART
2016 conference to get the special rate. This rate is guaranteed until
7/21/16 or all rooms at the special rate are gone. Call 860-627-5171 for
information. Lunch will be free both days for all conference attendees
that register before August 7, 2016. The hotel has no information about
the conference, other than room information.

Attendance Policy
Presentation of a picture ID will be required of all conference
participants, unless prior arrangements are made. This is for the
protection of all participants. Some of the topics discussed may be very
heavy for survivors. The conference is educational and not intended as
therapy or treatment. Conference sponsors, cosponsor, speakers,
organizers and exhibitors assume no responsibility for any reactions
resulting from attending our conference. Statements made and materials
exhibited and distributed by attendees, speakers and exhibitors are
their own and don’t necessarily represent the policies or views of
conference sponsors, cosponsor, speakers, exhibitors, organizers or
attendees. Children are not permitted to attend the conference.
S.M.A.R.T. and its representatives also reserve the right to remove
anyone from the conference at any time. Photographing, audio taping and
videotaping without written permission from S.M.A.R.T. are prohibited.

Exhibitors
Tables and half tables will be available for exhibitors. All exhibitors
and their materials, etc. must be pre-approved. Write for more
information. Whole tables are $25, half tables are $15. Take one table
fee is $5.00 per item.

Volunteers
S.M.A.R.T. is currently looking for volunteers to help at the
conference. Volunteer need to be registered at the conference. Please
let S.M.A.R.T. know if you are interested.

Conference Donations
Please consider sponsoring a full or partial registree, so that all are
able to attend the conference. Thank you. (Donations are not tax
deductible.)

For those interested in helping to promote the conference, please
write smartnews@aol.com to receive a press release to forward to others.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Joe Paterno was told Jerry Sandusky abused a 14-year-old boy in 1976, according to testimony in newly unsealed documents
BY Amara Grautski Leonard Greene NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Court documents say famed Penn State coach Joe Paterno was aware as far back as 1976 that his top assistant was abusing boys, and years later other coaches knew, too, including future Rutgers and NFL coach Greg Schiano.

In testimony about the shameful Jerry Sandusky scandal, a graduate assistant said Schiano and another up-and-coming coach, Tom Bradley, kept silent about Sandusky’s crimes.

The testimony came in 2015 from ex-Penn State assistant Mike McQueary, who was a key witness in the Sandusky criminal case because he reported to Paterno seeing Sandusky rape a boy in 2001.

In his testimony, McQueary said he "briefly" discussed with Bradley what he had seen. Bradley, who is currently UCLA's defensive coordinator, was a Joe Paterno assistant from 1979 to 2011 and replaced Sandusky as Penn State's defensive coordinator. Bradley was Penn State's interim head coach after Paterno was fired....

In 1976, a 14-year-old victim told Paterno that Sandusky touched him while attending a football camp at the university, penetrating his rectum with his finger as he showered, according to the Washington Post.

John Doe 150, according to the newly unsealed court documents, testified that he told Paterno of the sexual assault and the coach ignored his complaint.

“Is it accurate that Coach Paterno quickly said to you, ‘I don’t want to hear about any of that kind of stuff, I have a football season to worry about?'” the victim's lawyer asked him in 2014.

“Specifically. Yes … I was shocked, disappointed, offended," the man replied. "I was insulted … I said, is that all you’re going to do? You’re not going to do anything else?....

New court documents suggest others at Penn State knew of Jerry Sandusky abuse

A man testified in court in 2014 that Penn State football coach Joe Paterno ignored his complaints of a sexual assault committed by assistant coach Jerry Sandusky in 1976 when the man was a 14-year-old boy, according to newly unsealed court documents.
By Will Hobson and Cindy Boren July 12, 2016

In 2014, a man testified that Penn State football coach Joe Paterno ignored his complaints of a sexual assault committed by assistant coach Jerry Sandusky in 1976 when the man was a 14-year-old boy, according to new court documents unsealed Tuesday in a Philadelphia court.

Four other former assistant football coaches at the school also were aware of Sandusky acting inappropriately with boys before law enforcement was first notified in 1998, according to testimony contained in the documents.

The allegations suggest that Paterno may have been made aware of Sandusky’s actions far earlier than has previously been reported, and that knowledge of Sandusky’s behavior may have been far more widespread among the Penn State football staff than previously known.

Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano and UCLA defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, both former Penn State assistants named in the documents, denied the allegations Tuesday.

The testimony of multiple victims who have settled with Penn State, and of former assistant Mike McQueary — who witnessed Sandusky raping a boy on campus in 2001 — comes as the specifics of what Paterno and others knew about Sandusky and when are still being debated in courts and in the court of public opinion in Pennsylvania....

The 1976 victim, identified in court records as John Doe 150, said that while he was attending a football camp at Penn State, Sandusky touched him as he showered. Sandusky’s finger penetrated the boy’s rectum, Doe said, and the boy asked to speak with Paterno about it. Doe testified that he specifically told Paterno that Sandusky had sexually assaulted him, and Paterno ignored it....

While law enforcement only first became aware of allegations against Sandusky in 1998, the documents released Tuesday include several incidents in the 1980s and 1990s when Penn State football coaches and officials were aware of improper behavior by Sandusky around boys.

Thursday, July 7, 2016

A judge on Thursday denied Bill Cosby's effort to compel the accuser in his criminal sex assault case to testify before trial, ruling the comedian shouldn't get a new preliminary hearing.

NORRISTOWN, Pa. — Bill Cosby lost another bid to get criminal sexual-assault charges tossed, after a judge ruled Thursday that there is enough evidence to try Cosby even though he was unable to cross-examine his accuser at a preliminary hearing.

Cosby arrived at the courthouse here in suburban Philadelphia to ask Judge Steven O'Neill to reverse an earlier decision to send Cosby to trial on charges of aggravated sexual assault stemming from an encounter between Cosby and accuser Andrea Constand in 2004.

Cosby’s lawyers insisted a trial could not be held until Constand gets on the stand and they get a chance to cross-examine her. Constand did not testify at the May preliminary hearing; instead, prosecutors cited a recent court ruling they believe allowed them to use her police statement taken more than a decade after the encounter.

The judge ruled against Cosby's motion, which sought to compel Constand to testify and be cross-examined under oath, or dismiss the charges....

Cosby, 78, a mentor to Constand, 43, when she was working at Temple University, is accused of drugging and molesting her 12 years ago at his home in Montgomery County outside Philadelphia. She accused him to police a year later but charges were never filed, so she sued him in civil court. The two settled in 2006 and the case was sealed.

Why The New Child Rape Case Filed Against Donald Trump Should Not Be Ignored 06/29/2016 Lisa Bloom Legal analyst for NBC News and Avvo, attorney and bestselling author

An anonymous “Jane Doe” filed a federal lawsuit against GOP presumptive nominee Donald Trump last week, accusing him of raping her in 1994 when she was thirteen years old. The mainstream media ignored the filing.

If the Bill Cosby case has taught us anything, it is to not disregard rape cases against famous men. Serious journalists have publicly apologized for turning a blind eye to the Cosby accusers for over a decade, notwithstanding the large number of women who had come forward with credible claims. And now history is repeating itself....

More context: two prior sexual assault court claims have been made against Mr. Trump

But Mr. Trump has been accused of worse than just misogynist language. Two prior women have accused Mr. Trump, in court documents, of actual or attempted sexual assault. (Mr. Trump denies all the allegations.)....

The new Jane Doe child rape claim against Mr. Trump is consistent with verifiable facts about Mr. Trump and his friend Jeffrey Epstein, and has a powerful witness statement attached to it.

A third woman accused Mr. Trump of rape very recently. According to the Daily Mail, a woman filed an April 2016 lawsuit claiming that when she was thirteen years old she was held as a sex slave to Mr. Trump and his friend Jeffrey Epstein. The woman claimed to have a witness, “Tiffany Doe,” to the incidents. She filed the case in pro per, that is, without the assistance of a lawyer.

The case was dismissed by the court for technical filing errors. She then obtained a lawyer and the case was modified and refiled in New York federal court, against Mr. Trump and Mr. Epstein.

I’ve carefully reviewed this federal complaint. It is now much stronger than the one she filed on her own, which makes sense because she now has an experienced litigator representing her. Jane Doe says that as a thirteen year old, she was enticed to attend parties at the home of Jeffrey Epstein with the promise of money modeling jobs. Mr. Epstein is a notorious “billionaire pedophile” who is now a Level 3 registered sex offender - the most dangerous kind, “a threat to public safety” — after being convicted of misconduct with another underage girl.

Jane Doe says that Mr. Trump “initiated sexual contact” with her on four occasions in 1994. Since she was thirteen at the time, consent is not an issue. If Mr. Trump had any type sexual contact with her in 1994, it was a crime.....

It is exceedingly rare for a sexual assault victim to have a witness. But Tiffany Doe says: